there's a verdict in the trial of pop benedict's former butler. paolo gabriele was convicted this morning of leaking the pope's private papers to a wrournlist. he's been sentenced to 18 months in prison. >> reporter: good morning. well the prosecution wanted three year sentence, the defense asked for an acquittal. the butler said he acted on behalf of the catholic church and the pope. he sawed i don't feel like a thief. the verdict was a foregone conclusion. paolo gabriele confessed but he was caught. the unanswered question is whether he acted alone. during his testimony the butler insisted he had no accomplices but in a statement to the vatican police he named half a dozen people including priests and cardinals who he said suggested he leak documents to an italian journalists. some 80 boxes were removed from paolo gabriele's apartment in vatican city. some documents bore pope benedict's own hand writing including the word destroy written in german. it revealed the secret workings of the vatican. >> the importance of this trial is the vatican sho